The point here should be that everyone deserves a life like Richard's, not that nobody does. That's why I've never liked the word"privilege", it implies that the default for humanity is "no rights".
The point here should be that everyone deserves a life like Richard’s, not that nobody does.
They deserve the security and comfort that he has, but certainly not the opulence or nepotism.
Everybody deserves to not work that shitty fucking office bullshit holy shit fuck offices. They probably advertise some dumb bullshit nobody needs to cover for something a government could practically and efficiently do, but the budget won't allow it. If Richard has the fortitude to deal with all the shit that goes on in an office then I'd be down to throw him a party holy FUCK. I would sacrifice 7 brands of marinara sauce and the 1:10 million chance of being rich beyond comprehension for socialism.
"Privilege" is an awkward word since it lumps together things that everyone should have like education, healthcare, and not having to live in fear of the police, all together with things no one should have like all media catering to your assumed tastes and the law assuming you're in the right when in conflict with a disprivileged group.
Unfortunately this is just how words are. You could get hung up on what words "should" mean or dividing them up into precise definitions that exactly you and maybe one of your friends agree on, but this shuts you off from the ability to discuss concepts with other people. If you think there's a concept that needs to be explained, you're better off just slogging through explaining it.
Yeah the comic is a bit libby, I'll admit, but I thought it illustrated the point it was trying to make pretty well. That the environment you are born into has a huge effect on your life and it's shitty to assume that people that aren't 'successful' didn't work as hard as those who are.
The fact that we base our entire perception of reality and the material conditions we find ourselves in in comparison to the principle of "ex nihilo" means we have the infinite potential to create build and create from nothing our own eden. Our potential is as endless as our imagination and the will to pursue it.
Existential nihilism is a hell of a drug.
Whenever we use the word "privilege", we're doing the neoliberal's job for them. Are there any better terms to use that adequately describe this phenomenon?
spitballing ideas
- Inequality of opportunity
- Inherited poverty
- Systemic prejudice
Are there any better terms to use that adequately describe this phenomenon?
Why bother? The minute neolibs weaponize that word we'll have to find a new one, and then a new one after that one, and then a new one after that....
